Good morning,
I have gotten kind of cranky. I am
tired of feeling like a victim during this time of the pandemic, tired of
feeling like there is nothing we can do, and that the virus just has to run its
course. Maybe at my core, I am tired of feeling like this virus is bigger
than God and tired of feeling like we are at the mercy of the virus.
That is not true. Nothing is
bigger than God. And it’s God’s mercy that gives us life.
Whatever you are facing, God is
bigger. God was there before your troubles. God is present through
your troubles. God will be there when our troubles are long past. (Whatever
you are facing, God is there beside you offering strength, hope, endurance, and
wisdom. I am going to talk about the pandemic. You may have other
troubles. You can stop here if you like—this is the good news!)
Fresh grace has stirred in me, (Thank
you, Jesus.) and I am ready to fight. I want to learn all I can about
this virus so that we are equipped to address it.
I have talked to a family who
experienced it, and I have written an article for Pathways about what happened
when the virus swept through their home. That will be out next
week.
I am following a website that tracks
the number of cases county by county. We can see it coming and take
action, social distancing, wearing masks, and staying home from things I might
like to do to deny the virus a body to infect. If it has no one to infect, the
virus dies. The stats can be found at https://globalepidemics.org/key-metrics-for-covid-suppression/.
I am looking for more resources that
can offer good information about the virus and what we can do.
But I am not a scientist or a health
care provider. (God bless them for the work they are doing! I am
so grateful for scientists and health care workers around the world who are
working at this very minute to address the pandemic.)
I am a person of faith, so I have
been looking to what other people of faith have to say about the
pandemic. I want to know how they see God in this time. N. T.
Wright, a British biblical scholar has written God and The Pandemic: A
Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath.
Please note the “Aftermath” in the title. Good news! Wright seems
to think this will end! You can find the book on Amazon and you don’t
have to be a biblical scholar to make sense of it.
So if we are ready to fight (I am
and I hope you are too) what should we do? Wright describes this little
story in Acts 11:27-30. The followers of Christ have learned that there
will be a famine over the entire world. According to Wright, they asked
three questions:
- Who is going to be at special risk when this happens?
- What can we do to help?
- Who shall we send?
Three questions seem to come from
the very heart of the Christ we follow.
We are not helpless in this
pandemic. We are God’s people. And God is present before, during,
and after. What questions do we need to ask? Who needs help?
What can we do? Who should go?
God is bigger than the
pandemic. God is with us.
And God has prepared us to face
whatever we are facing.
So I am feeling holy
feisty.
Ready to commit.
Knowing there will be lots and lots
of questions.
Hunkering down for the long game.
Take that you, disgusting
virus.
Blessings,
Pastor
Cindy
Pastor Cindy Hickman
West Des Moines United Methodist
Church
720 Grand Ave
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
515-279-0826
We are located in West Des Moines,
Iowa but we serve the world.
We worship online at 9:30 on Sunday
mornings and all week long on our Facebook page and website wdmumc.org.
This week at WDMUMC
150 Bags of Groceries will go out the doors today to feed hungry families in our
community. (We are pretty feisty when it comes to hunger too.)
The Little Food Pantry is stocked.
Bar+Church Pastor Trevor takes a different approach to worship on
Sundays at 1 pm. You are welcome to join in.
Monday Morning Get Ready for the
Week Prayer live-streamed on Facebook around 8
am when Pastor Cindy logs on.
Monday Evening Open Sanctuary from
6-8 pm. For a quiet time of
prayer. Please wear a mask and social distance and be respectful of
others.
#JustRead Every Tuesday from 4:30-5:30 on Zoom. Not a
zoomer? Want to learn? If you have a computer, we can teach
you. #JustRead just reads the bible for an hour and we will be beginning
the book of Romans next week.
Prayer Chain Lifting People in
Prayer We have an email prayer chain and
phone prayer chain. Want to be a part of this ministry? Call the
church or reply to this email.
Ministry in Neighborhoods and
Workplaces That’s what you are doing
wherever you are.
A Private Memorial Service will be
held for Dick Cummings on Saturday.
Please thank God for the life of Dick Cummings and offer prayers of comfort for
the family. Cards may be sent to the church and we will forward them
on.
A Message from the Church Council The Church Council met this week to review the status of
the pandemic and determine how we should respond. It was decided that we
will not return to in-person worship before Labor Day. The church council will
meet again in August to again review and plan. Please thank God for our
leaders. Pray for their wisdom and careful discernment as they address this
pandemic.
Be safe and be well!
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